Southeast Asset Advisors LLC Sells 88 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Southeast Asset Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,981 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 88 shares during the period. Southeast Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,734,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Boltwood Capital Management grew its position in McDonald’s by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $546,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. now owns 5,401 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,566,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Modus Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 9,396 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,724,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Independent Wealth Network Inc. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 736 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Barn Wealth LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Barn Wealth LLC now owns 871 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $252,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $299.68 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $304.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $298.80. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $214.11 billion, a PE ratio of 26.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at $2,214,275.25. The trade was a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.60, for a total transaction of $334,755.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $475,176. This trade represents a 41.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MCD. Barclays boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.30.

McDonald’s Profile

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.